Job search blunders sabotage offers

by Janice Worthington

A well-planned, strategic job history is not taught in school. I have yet to see a candidate with a Bachelor of Science in Job Search or a Master of Arts in Career Management. Ironically one can get an education in so many vocations that choosing a major is much like facing a menu with too many selections. Selecting a generic or even a job-specific major, many graduates leave campus and enter the job market without a clue about what job to pursue or where to even begin. Throughout their lifetimes, since the rules keep changing, no one but seasoned experts seem to possess the answers to state of the art job search.

This is evident by how traumatized and lost even the most experienced executive becomes when he is faced with change. One positive aspect of the recent job market volatility is the wake-up call professionals hopefully have heard regarding keeping abreast of state of the art job search techniques.

What follows are some of the most common blunders I see among my clients:

1. Limiting options or unrealistic career expectations. Workers are defined by the functions they perform, i.e., sales, accounting, profit center management, chief executive officer and the environments in which they are performed, i.e. advertising, manufacturing, public accounting, and retail. Too often candidates are either arbitrary about what they are willing to envision as their next job or they believe they can take their experience into totally uncharted waters and expect the same six-figure income to which they had received in familiar work assignments. The enlightened candidate falls somewhere in the middle. The best net results occur to he who “rides the wave” on past success, recognizing and demonstrating those transitional skills that will be of value in different environments or when performing new functions.
   
   
2. Dealing with negative baggage. As we slowly enter an improved economy with a potentially encouraging job market we would be well-served to pay tribute to the casualties of hard times. Much like war veterans with battle scars, many are returning from extended unemployment and others, through demotions, loss of retirement and the constant threat of layoffs, have been emotionally affected. It’s difficult not to remember the broken promises from the last employer when sitting before a potential hiring authority, and it takes practice and discipline to avoid the tale of how unfairly you believe you were treated or how tough it’s been to find employment. Have no doubt that the best candidate will kill all hopes of a job offer if any bitterness or negativity about his rough road comes to the surface. We have all traveled that same road and employers are starved for survivors sustained with spirit and turned off by perceived negativity.
   
   
3. Overkill in follow-up. This issue is so controversial that if you ask two career professionals their philosophies on negotiation and follow-up, you will likely get three arguments. I tend to determine the best approach based on the temperament of hiring authorities and then I look back at each success and analyze what actually happened that resulted in a job offer. Nothing succeeds better than a stellar, unforgettable first interview. My clients are taught to leave their fingerprints of potential value indelibly tattooed on the minds of their interviewers, to follow-up gently once and then to back-off.  Following the recommended thank you note, bothersome phone calls can only hurt a candidate’s chances.  The savvy candidate surpasses and then moves on to impress again…  initiating as many potential opportunities as possible.

Janice Worthington is the president of Worthington Career Services, a resume and job search consulting firm that provides career coaching at all levels. Janice will be working with The Ohio Society as a career coach to the membership, including regular columns in the Society’s electronic publications, an “Ask the Expert” column that allows members to ask questions regarding resume writing, job searching and regular podcasts.

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